When I decided to be the interim organist at this Baptist church near where I live, I didn’t think it would take me through December; nevertheless, I came to the decision that Sunday (19/XII/21) would be it.   I really can’t deal with it anymore.  Now this is NOT a Southern Baptist church, which makes it marginally less intolerable; but, intolerable just the same.  My problem is not that it’s a non-liturgical church; it’s that they there is nothing there.  After all, they don’t even have a creed.  At least the Presbyterians, Methodists, Congregationalists, etc. use the Apostle’s Creed (sort of a “cliff notes” version of the Nicene Creed).  Like most other non-liturgical churches they only do “Communion” (the Lord’s Supper, i.e the Eucharist) once a month; and even then it’s pathetically abbreviated, just this simple recitation of I Corinthians XI: 23-26 chowing down this ¼ “ square of stale “bread” and a tiny slurp of grape juice (both of which are contained in this “convenient” little hourglass shaped container:  open up one end, crunch the square, open up the other end, slurp the juice).  It has about as much spirituality, about as much mystery of  faith as a stock car race.  THEN they declare — not the Christian creed (i. e. testament of faith) — but this thing called a Church Covenant.  Now I don’t know if this is strictly a Baptist thing or if it is unique to this church; but, that’s what I have been experiencing once a month for the past 5½ months.  

This is the problem with sermon based, non-liturgical so-called Christian churches; because, even when it comes to the Communion service, it’s not the Lord’s Supper that’s paramount it’s the bloody sermon!  It’s always the sermon.  What happened to the mystery of faith: that mystical union between the alluvial and the transcendental?  This is their communion with God??  Part of my ennui is that the other services are just as prosaic.  MY question is:  What is there to believe?

Anyway, I have two services to play at a UCC church which, at least, has a decent three manual Austin/Czelesniak organ; and, from what I’ve surmised from the past year’s bulletins will at least not be a totally miserable experience. 

So after 9 January 2022, unless the organ at Christ Church Episcopal in Quincy (or something not dissimilar) is made available to me, I am done with organ and performing period.  I’ll just return to the futility of composition.

We’ll see.